Itajai: The Wait Goes On

However, a last-minute intervention from Livramento Holdings, the fourth placed bidder, means they may have to wait, as Antaq, the National Waterways and Ports Authority, examines an eleventh hour appeal regarding possible “anomalies” in the process.

Having offered to handle only 35,000 containers per month for the short-term contract Teconnave came in third behind MMS Empreendimentos and Mada Araujo (offering, respectively, 66,000 boxes and 44,000) but once Antaq (the regulatory body) bore down into the bid details it decreed that the first two outfits did not have the capacity or know-how to deliver that many boxes. These two outfits are also appealing to Antaq, suggesting that correct procedures were not followed by Diogo Piloni, when he was National Secretary of Ports under the Bolsonaro government.

“Portonave is still likely to be the one that can best perform and deliver what they promise,” said Robert Grantham, Director, Solve consultancy and a former commercial director at the Itajai Port Authority. “Whoever wins in the end it will be great for the local shipping community to see the ex-APMT Itajai terminal up and running again as it hasn’t handled a single container this year.”

The planned move into the 70,000 sq m facility – which handled just under 500,000TEU per annum at its peak in 2019 when Itajai Port Complex was second biggest for boxes in all Brazil- should ease congestion at Portonave, which is located directly across the Itajaí-Açu River in Navegantes and returned record throughput during the first semester of this year, with 700,323TEU handled. This was up 22% over the same period of last year, but end-of-year figures will surely be sorely affected now by the 18-plus days closure of the entrance channel due to “raging currents”.

Portonave was contacted several times before PS went to press to comment on the latest turn of events and no-one senior was available but they did present this press statement:

“On Wednesday, November 1st, the Brazilian Waterway Transport Agency (Antaq) published the decision that attests the regularity and consistency of the documentation presented by Teconnave, which recently had its corporate name changed to Itajaí Container Terminal (ICT), which is a Terminal Investment Limited (TiL) company.

“The process is now in the Appeal Phase that started on November 3rd. In respect of the procedural stages of the event, TiL will comment in more detail as soon as the final result is approved.”